Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman noted that Wal-Mart (WMT) shares have underperformed ahead of the company's investor day, which is the first time this has been the case in 4 years. He attributes the underperformance to fears about the achievability of Wal-Mart's 5% EPS growth target in FY19 and Target's (TGT) recent wage announcement. Gutman, who sees only a 25% chance Wal-Mart backs away from this goal, thinks that if the 5% target is maintained, shares will "likely grind higher, perhaps by1%-2%." He keeps an Equal Weight rating and $84 price target on Wal-Mart shares.

11/03/17

WELS

11/03/17INITIATIONTarget $62WELSMarket Perform

Target initiated with a Market Perform at Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo analyst Edward Kelly started Target with a Market Perform rating and $62 price target. Target s one of the most exposed retailers to the digital threat, the analyst contends. He sees no catalyst for share outperformance at the moment.

As previously reported, Morgan Stanley analyst Simeon Gutman downgraded Sally Beauty to Underweight, the firm's equivalent to a sell rating, from Equal Weight. Its retail segment is facing tougher competition while its professional segment is decelerating, he stated. While the stock is down 15% since the company's Q3 report, that does not fully reflect the headwinds Sally Beauty faces amid competitive pressures from Wal-Mart (WMT) Target (TGT), Ulta (ULTA) and drugstores catch up, Gutman tells investors. He lowered his price target on Sally Beauty shares to $15 from $22.

11/15/17

BARD

11/15/17NO CHANGETarget $55BARDNeutral

Target modernization efforts weighing on profits, says Baird

Baird analyst Peter Benedict maintains a Neutral rating and $55 price target on Target shares following this morning's Q3 results. The retailer's Q4 outlook, with earnings down 20% year-over-year at the midpoint, "reinforced the cost of driving sales in a highly competitive backdrop," Benedict tells investors in a post-earnings research note. The analyst believes Target's modernization efforts are weighing on profits and he sees low visibility into a margin inflection.

Snap Inc. (SNAP) is banning ads of initial coin offerings in its Snapchat app, Cheddar reports, citing a company spokesperson. The decision makes Snapchat the latest social media platform to prohibit advertisements for cryptocurrency ICOs, the report says. In contrast to Facebook (FB) and Google (GOOG), however, Snap's current block of ICOs has been in effect since early February and does not apply to different kinds of cryptocurrency ads, the report says. Reference Link

Airbus (EADSY) is mulling making a freighter version of its slow-selling A330neo widebody, spurred by requests from potential customers Amazon (AMZN) and UPS (UPS), Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter. The interest from Amazon and UPS could incite a competition between Airbus and rival Boeing (BA) as the worldwide air-cargo market rebounds from a slump, the report notes.

Facebook's chief information security officer, Alex Stamos, will leave the company after internal disagreements over how the social network should deal with its role in spreading disinformation, The New York Times reports, citing current and former employees briefed on the matter. Reference Link

Amazon has considered the possibility of expanding its retail footprint by acquiring some stores from bankrupt Toys 'R' Us, Bloomberg reports, citing people with knowledge of the situation. The e-commerce giant is not interested in maintaining the Toys 'R' Us brand, but has mulled using the soon-to-be-vacant stores for its own purposes, the report says. Reference Link

President Trump is readying to place a package of $60B in annual tariffs against China, following through on a long-time threat that he claims will punish China for IP infringement and create more jobs in the U.S., the Washington Post reports. The tariff package, which the president intends to unveil by the end of the week, was confirmed by four senior administration officials, the report notes. Senior aides has presented Trump with a $30B tariff package that would apply to a variety of products, but the president directed them to approximately double the amount of new trade levies, the report says. The package could be applied to over 100 products, which the president contends were made by using trade secrets that the Chinese stole from U.S. companies or forced them to hand over in exchange for market aces, the report says. Reference Link